Wireless Industry Reminds Congress of Numerous Benefits of
Deploying Wireless Technologies for Healthcare and Encourages Them
to Include mHealth Solutions as Reimbursable Medical
Expenses

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 24, 2009 - Federal government
officials and policy and medical experts spoke at this morning's
“mHealth Solutions and Policy Forum,” hosted by
CTIA-The Wireless Association®, to discuss mobile medical
applications and their numerous benefits including reducing costs
and errors, removing geographical and economic disparities and
reinforcing consumer-focused and personalized healthcare. From
remote monitoring and accessing critical health information on the
go, to creating personal channels of communications between
healthcare providers and patients, speakers presented numerous
real-life examples of how mobile wireless technologies and
applications are helping to improve health for millions of
Americans, regardless of geographic location, race, age, gender or
disability.

The U.S. healthcare system costs $2.2 trillion each year, or
about 16 percent of the gross domestic product. Currently, the
Obama Administration and Congress are working to determine the best
way to fix this system and bring greater service and cost
efficiency. While the plans of how this can be accomplished are
still being discussed, today's speakers agreed that wireless
technology is a major part of the solution since more than 270
million in the U.S. and 4.1 billion in the world have wireless
access.

Speakers at the “mHealth Solutions and Policy Forum”
were notable medical and policy experts including U.S.
Representative and Member of the 21st Century Health
Care Caucus Adam Smith (D-WA-9); Chief Medical Officer of the West
Wireless Health Institute and Chief Academic Officer for Scripps
Health Eric Topol, M.D. and White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy Fellow Dan Fletcher, PhD.

mHealth solutions today use off-the-shelf applications and
technology such as text messaging and mobile voice to prompt
patients to take medication, follow a certain diet, engage in
physical activity, check their glucose levels, take their blood
pressure, detect cardiac arrhythmias and more. By making healthcare
more personal and individualized, mHealth solutions are expected to
significantly improve the medical community's ability to resolve
epidemics, reduce medical errors and expand preventive
healthcare.

In addition, mHealth can make a tremendous impact on chronic
conditions such as congestive heart failure, diabetes or chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease. In the U.S., more than 45 percent of
Americans suffer from at least one of these diseases and
approximately a quarter of the population has multiple conditions.
According to Richard Adler's Health Care Unplugged: The Evolving
Role of Wireless Technology report, if patients suffering from
chronic conditions agreed to have their doctor monitor them
remotely via mobile wireless applications, (i.e. monitor patients'
health and track and guide self-care beyond the doctors' offices),
the savings would amount to $21.1 billion per year by reducing
emergency care, hospitalization and nursing home costs. mHealth
would allow the millions of Americans living in remote, rural areas
to “visit” the best doctors' offices in the country,
eliminating healthcare disparities based on geographic location and
economic differences.

The Forum's experts highlighted the need for Congress
to ensure healthcare reforms encourage the implementation of
mHealth solutions and are made accessible to millions of Americans,
especially for preventive care. For example, the speakers
agreed that a definition of “meaningful use”
should be broad enough to include mHealth solutions,
and revisions to Medicare be implemented to add mHealth
solutions as being covered services subject to reimbursement.
These kinds of policies are critical to the medical and wireless
industry's efforts to bring better healthcare services to millions
of Americans.

Today's speakers are also leading medical innovators who are
applying existing, commonly used mobile applications to address a
variety of chronic care and other health conditions:

Dan Fletcher, PhD; White House
Office of Science and Technology Policy – oversaw the
development of the CellScope, a cameraphone-microscope. The device
takes focused pictures at up to 50x magnification, enough to see
red blood cells and the Plasmodium parasite that causes malaria.
Modified versions of the scope can also diagnose tuberculosis, skin
conditions, dangerous insect bites and abnormal mole growth

Jonathan Javitt, M.D., MPH; CEO,
Telcare – helped develop the Telcheck™, a glucose meter
which transmits daily glucose readings to a patient's caregiver
(e.g. physician, nurse/case manager or pharmacist) and relays daily
coaching to the patient. It may also be used to link a child with
diabetes to a parent or an elderly parent with diabetes to an adult
child. In addition, Telcare will launch the Telflo™ wireless
peak flow meter for asthma which combines monitoring
technology with wireless communications. Physicians and parents
will be alerted when a child falls below respiratory flow safe
levels or when a child stops testing in the prescribed manner.

Justin Sims; CEO, Voxiva –
Voxiva's mHealth applications include appointment reminders, sent
via SMS (text), email or phone. Reminders can be two-way so
patients can either confirm or cancel their appointments. They also
offer “daily diaries,” a personal record to keep track
of treatments which can be accessed through the phone, text
messages or through a web interface to review or to share with
others.

Richard J. Katz, M.D.; Director,
Division of Cardiology and Director, Cheney Cardiovascular
Institute, The George Washington University Hospital –
principle investigator for a trial using the “Pill
Phone” to improve medication adherence of hypertensive
medications in a Medicaid population. He is also principle
investigator for “DC Health Connect,” a cell phone
program to manage diabetes and hypertension in Washington, DC
health clinics.

Jay Bernhardt, M.D.; Director,
Center for National Health Marketing, Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) – currently using emerging mobile
technologies to increase the dissemination and potential
impact of CDC's science by reaching wider and more
diverse audiences, and tailoring specific health messages
to meet unique challenges, such as the response to H1N1 and
natural disasters such as hurricanes. The CDC is using mobile
technology to facilitate interactive communication and
community - thereby empowering people to make healthier and safer
decisions.

“The high caliber of healthcare industry leaders and
policy experts who were here today to exchange ideas and discuss
how wireless technology is reshaping our healthcare system in the
U.S. and around the world was remarkable. Throughout the morning,
these experts agreed and reiterated that the wireless industry is a
major part of the healthcare solution,” said Steve Largent,
President and CEO of CTIA-The Wireless Association. “CTIA and
our member companies are looking forward to working with these
experts, the Administration, Congress and others involved in the
healthcare industry to continue innovating, developing and applying
technology to bring the vast benefits of wireless healthcare to
consumers.”

“Today's speakers highlighted numerous cost-effective
solutions that use wireless technology and services to reduce
healthcare costs and expand affordable healthcare options for
millions of people who don't have access to quality medical
treatment,” said Representative Smith. “These
tools can be utilized to provide care to millions of people around
the globe – especially in developing countries where mobile
communications are currently ˜leapfrogging' traditional
landline communications. For example, wireless technology can be
used to ensure that patients with infectious diseases like TB
follow their treatments, possibly curing many patients around
the world and decreasing the incidence of drug resistant
strains.”

“It is exciting to have these experienced leaders in the
wireless industry, healthcare community and from our government,
come together to raise critical awareness for wireless health
solutions and innovative sensor technologies,” said Topol.
“Through this unprecedented convergence, we will join the
current Administration with the collective goal of lowering the
overwhelming cost of healthcare and providing a higher standard of
healthcare around the world.”

CTIA is the international association for the wireless
telecommunications industry, representing carriers, manufacturers
and wireless Internet providers.www.ctia.org

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